Academic debate as an educational tool in secondary education

Abstract

In the present paper we'll discuss academic debate and its usefulness as an educational tool, for what we'll present, analyze and study what we consider its advantages. The little development about this issue in Spanish language constitutes another reason that justifies our choice of "debate" as a subject to develop in this work. While one of the most usual definitions of debate uses to be "discussion", "confrontation" or even "contest of different opinions", we consider that this constitutes a very slanted and simplistic view, as in fact the deepening in the academic facet of debate will demonstrate. It's true that the fight between opponents resides in the very essence of debate, and healthy competitiveness constitutes one of the main factors that propitiate the activity, but we consider that this goes far beyond, especially in relation with the improvements that report to the student if the task develops appropriately. So our goals for the present paper are the defense of a higher presence of debate in secondary education classes, and for that we'll pose a number of issues and hypothesis about the advantages (with facts and examples that support them) that it would offer, faced with the possible risks or drawbacks which, in any case, are always present in every innovation that deserves the effort.